Epices Roellinger: The Spice of Life in Paris

Master French chef Olivier Roellinger retired from his three star Michelin restaurant in 2010 because of health problems. Wanting to continue in the food biz, he traded in his Michelin stars to open a superior spice shop in Cancale, Epices Roellinger, offering spice creations from all over the world.

He recently opened a branch on the rue St. Anne, and the handsome shop with its dark wood floors and spices from floor to ceiling almost looks out of place on this street filled with fast food Asian noodle shops with their super bright lighting. The focal point of the shop is the vitrine with a sailboat entirely built with cloves, and the rest of the shop has smartly packaged spices in glass jars with bold, easy to read lettering on brightly colored labels.

Besides the hundreds of whole and powdered spices, sea salts, powders and peppercorns from Madagascar to Corsica, there’s a selection of 20 different aromatic vanilla beans. Those irresistible salted butter caramels from Brittany are stocked along with olive oils, condiments, aprons and cookbooks. Stop by, if even just for a heavenly whiff.

Richard Nahem is a native New Yorker who now lives in Paris. A successful New York City event planner and producer of cultural events, he has worked with many celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Whitney Houston, and Joan Rivers. After a teenage trip to Paris made him an instant Francophile, he visited the city frequently until he made it his home (in 2005). With 25 years of rave reviews from friends and colleagues, Richard decided to take his own private tours of “his” Paris public. His goal for Eye Prefer Paris Tours is to provide fun, adventurous, and exciting tours of Paris for the independent-spirited traveler.